1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a cryogenic device useful in treating tumors.
2. The Prior Art
Cryosurgical instruments are mainly used in the treatment of cancer, the cryogenic instruments being applied onto the surface or inserted into the tumor tissue so that, as a result of the purposeful action of extreme cold temperatures, the diseased tissue is, to a great extent, destroyed or killed, and the biochemical as well as the biophysical processes are made locally irreversible. Smaller tumorous masses are thus destroyed and the cancer cells cannot proliferate any longer. This measure helps in preventing the local relapse as well as metastasis of cancer cells in small tumors. Further applications may be for example in general surgery, urology, gynecology, otorhinolaryngology and ophthalmology, plastic surgery, gnathosurgery, orthopaedics, veterinary medicine, also phytopathology, and so on.
A drawback to using these known cryogenic instruments, however, is that large amounts of tumor tissues are not destroyed completely.
Another disadvantage of the known devices is that the flow paths for the liquid cryogenic medium and the gaseous cryogenic medium are not separated, so that the flows of the different phases will affect each other. This makes it impossible to keep the minimum temperature constant on the exterior side of the working surface of the devices and to keep the loss of the cryogenic medium low.
It is therefore the object of the invention to improve on the known instruments so that large amounts of diseased tumour tissues are destroyed or killed as well and the biochemical as well as the biophysical processes become irreversible. The complete tumorous mass is thus destroyed and the cancer cells cannot proliferate any longer, so that local relapse (regrowth) of the tumor as well as metastasis of cancer cells is avoided with small and large tumors alike.
Additionally, and in order to keep the minimum temperature constant on the exterior side of the end piece of the instruments, the loss of the cryogenic medium is kept extremely low for cryogenic effect.
This is only made possible by reaching the minimum temperature and keeping it constant on the exterior working side of the cryogenic instrument contacting biological tissue.
The invention provides cryogenic instruments which are connected to a connecting device of a cryogenic apparatus or system and which are used for various application ranges.
The invention provides a cryogenic instrument designed as a cryoapplicator which, due to the uniform working surface, preferably in sizes between 3 mm and 55 mm, is convenient for the treatment of and can purposefully be applied to the large amount of tissue invaded, either on its surface or in its interior, by a tumor.
The invention provides a cryogenic instrument designed as a cryogenic needle which is preferably utilized for the treatment of diseased tissues located deep within the human body such as a liver tumor or a prostatic tumor.
The invention provides a cryogenic instrument designed as a cryoprobe for the treatment of tumors which grow into the healthy tissue, infiltrating in different ways, like, e.g., a soft tissue sarcoma.
The cryogenic instrument of the invention developed into a cryomammotome, is preferably used in the treatment of breast and prostate cancer.
Pedunculated tumors, polyps, e.g., are purposefully treated with the cryoclamp.